"Afghanaid truly brings about change in the lives of those who need it most"

Mariam Kosha is the Project Manager of Afghanaid’s ‘Strengthening Community Champions of Women’s Rights’ project, which aims to facilitate a true understanding and acceptance of human rights and campaign for a greater respect for women’s rights throughout entire communities.

I am passionate about helping women and girls claim their rights, so that they can live a life free from abuse and have the opportunities I have had.

I love the work that I do, especially because Afghanaid has created a uniquely positive working environment for women in Afghanistan. All the female staff feel respected and appreciated; women are treated with dignity, and are allowed to work independently and to take control of decisions.

Afghanaid is respectful of local culture and religion and, as a result of this, the organisation enjoys a significant amount of acceptance of its work throughout entire communities, which has been key to the success of our women’s rights project.

Working with religious leaders and using culturally sensitive messages rooted in Islamic teachings has helped us to successfully deliver this project in a way that is acceptable to everyone in the community. For example, with the help of religious leaders and community elders, we have successfully persuaded families to let their daughters finish their education, even in some of the most conservative areas of Kabul Province.

Afghanaid truly brings about change in the lives of those who need it most. It is incredibly rewarding to bring about change in these areas and I am proud to be part of this organisation.

How you can help:

Please select a donation amount: *

£20Pays for a set of 20 women's rights advocacy booklets to be printed

£40Buys a school bag, notebooks, pens and advocacy booklets, to be used by a student learning about women’s rights

£100Provides training in conflict resolution, advocacy or gender rights, as part of human rights defender training

Latest

Many parts of Afghanistan suffer from frequent natural disasters. In remote rural villages like Mohammad Hashim's, Afghanaid provides schools with assistance to keep their students safe when disasters strike.

Over the past few months, we have hosted a series of conferences and workshops in different areas around Kabul province to raise awareness of women’s rights within the context of Islam and campaign for a greater respect for women's rights within the local communities.

Although the issue of gender rights has made significant legislative progress in Afghanistan over the last decade, the country continues to be one of the most difficult places in the world to be a woman. We have been working to change this.